Cook, James M., 1858-

Born in Washington County, Arkansas, James M. Cook (1858-1940), also known as "Jim Lane," was a cattle rancher and manager of the XIT Ranch, one of the largest cattle ranches in Texas. After his service in the Civil War as a captain in the Confederate Army, Cook settled in Texas and became a cattle rancher. In 1888, he became foreman for the XIT Ranch's Escarbada Division. Cook was elected sheriff of Deaf Smith County in 1890, only to be fired a year later for killing a cowboy. Following the death of his wife, Cook traveled throughout the western United States and Canada in the early 1890s, prospecting and working as a wilderness guide. In 1912, he published the book, "The Canadian Northwest as It Is Today." In later life, he returned to Texas and became well known for his frontier and pioneering lifestyle.

Morris G. Cook, a resident of Austin, Texas, was a rare bookseller specializing in Texas and local history. He organized a comprehensive collection of materials concerning the life of his friend J. Frank Dobie that the University of Texas at San Antonio acquired in 1974. His son, William Morris Cook, was schooled in the Austin public school system.

Source: Payne, John. “So Rare.” Texas Monthly, May, 1975, 44.

Born in Washington County, Arkansas, James M. Cook (1858-1940), also known as “Jim Lane,” was a cattle rancher and manager of the XIT Ranch, one of the largest cattle ranches in Texas. After his service in the Civil War as a captain in the Confederate Army, Cook settled in Texas and became a cattle rancher. In 1888, he became foreman for the XIT Ranch’s Escarbada Division. Cook was elected sheriff of Deaf Smith County in 1890, only to be fired a year later for killing a cowboy. Following the death of his wife, Cook traveled throughout the western United States and Canada in the early 1890s, prospecting and working as a wilderness guide. In 1912, he published the book, The Canadian Northwest as It Is Today . In later life, he returned to Texas and became well known for his frontier and pioneering lifestyle.

Anderson, H. Allen. “Cook, Jim.” Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed on May 13, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fco49.

Morris G. Cook, a resident of Austin, Texas, was a rare bookseller specializing in Texas and local history.

He organized a comprehensive collection of materials concerning the life of his friend J. Frank Dobie that the University of Texas at San Antonio acquired in 1974. His son, William Morris Cook, was schooled in the Austin public school system.